Lost Features of an Ancient Landscape Robert Steerwood
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48 1 LOST FEATURES OF AN ANCIENT LANDSCAPE byROBERTSTEERWOOD THE MID-COASTAL AREA of east Suffolk, incorporating the Blything and Plomesgate Hundreds, is particularly rich in place-names of the early medieval period. The settlements of Aldringham, Knodishall and Friston are but a few of the recognised sites possessing Old English nomenclature. Many lesser known examples remain buried in texts, field names, maps and perambulations, as these gradually emerge they serve to offer a fuller understanding of the social and cultural significance of an ancient landscape. Polsborough Gate The name Tolsborough Gate' appears four times in "Cross Roads" itineraries recorded by john Kirby in 1735 (Suffolk Traveller, p 30, 35, 36). From Blithburgh to Melton lrn. 4 1/2 f. the right goes to Knodishall, the left to Aldeburgh, leaving a Windmill a little on the right, At 2m. 3 1/2 f. the right goes to Saxmundham, the left to Aldeburgh. At 2rn. 5 1/4 f. is Polsborough-Gate; the left goes to Aldeburgh, the right to Benhall; leaving Friston Decoy a little on the left, at 3m. 3 1/4 f. a View to Friston-Hall. At 4m. The left acute backward, over Snape Race- Ground, goes to Aldeburgh. At 4m. 3f. Is Snape Crown Inn."... From Woodbridge to Orford ..."Passing along from Melton Village over Wilford Bridge, through Eyke, Tunstall and Snape, to PolSborough-Gate; it being thither, (as mentioned in the road from Blithburgh to Melton) IOm. 5 1/2 f. here take the right hand Way,leading to a Lane called Rushmere-Street, over Haslewood Common, at 3m. 1 1/4 f. from the said Gate, is Aldeburgh Market Cross."... From Aldeburgh Market Cross ..."Returning back from Aldeburgh Market Cross, in the last mentioned Road, through Rushmere Street, avoid the left hand Way at the entrance of tbe Walks leading to Polesborough Gate. At 3m. 1 3/4- f. cross the Road leading from Blithburgh to Melton, leaving Polesborough Gate on the left near a Furlong, passing over Friston Walks,"... Claude Morley Morley 1949) makes reference to the above with the interpretation that it indicates an ancient name related to a formerly "conspicuous tumulus", which he suggests derived its origin from "Pfoles beorth, or god Pfowl's Barrow". The association of Polsborough-gate with tumulus or tumuli does seem probable in an area rich in burial mounds of the Bronze Age and Saxon periods. Notable amongst sites local to this area is the Snape burial ground, lying mid-way between Snape and Friston. It is here that a sizable tumulus containing a ship burial thought to date from the latter half of the 6th century (Filmer-Sankey & Pestell, p.196) swamped an existing Bronze Age mound. 482 ROBERT STEERWOOD The presence of the ship burial and smaller boat burials may point towards an argument favouring a fertility cult (Filmer-Sankey & Pestell, p. 263) and a god Phol is recorded in the 9th century `Merseburg Charms', appearing as a minor deity within the Scandinavian fertility cult of the Vanir (Ellis Davidson, 1973 p.p.183, 236'. However any conclusions drawn can only be speculative at best. The barrow containing the ship burial lay to the east of the site, being the most prominent amongst a group of six barrows in total'. Recorded by Francis Francis in 1862 as measuring 85 feet across and 7 to 8 feet high (Bruce-Mitford, p.25) this tumulus would have presented a significant feature in the landscape even at that time. Filmer-Sankey puts forward a hypothesis that during the 6th century the largest barrows may have stood at five meters, could have been visible from the Alde estuary and possibly from the sea (Filmer-Sankey & Pestell, p.p. 1-3). Kirby's maps do not pictographically represent Polsborough-gate as a specificlandmark, which would seem to be an unusual omission. Neither does such a location appear on any other map discovered to date. However a fork in the road is indicated on the route towards Benhall. Initially this would seem to present an unnecessary deviation until the immediate topography and a further local place-name aushmere' is taken into consideration. `Rushmere Street' running from Hazlewood Common and heading right towards Leiston, meets an area of low ground close to the current Blackheath Corner. It is here that the road forks to the left for Benhall. This fork follows a route to higher ground before petering-out onto the common-land and whins to the south-east of Friston. Crossing these it would be possible to pick up the track `Sloe Lane' which continues on to Benhall. The point where this route crosses the old road from Snape would have offered a view from which the Snape barrows would be clearly visible and it is this point that Kirby appears to have located as Polsborough Gate. The name Rushmere has Anglo Saxon origins, O.E. ryscemara(Ekwall, p.397) indicating an area of wetland reed-bed. Such an area is not apparent today but may have been a significant landscape feature around the 6th century when a possibility of higher water levelsand lower silt deposition could suggest that the lowland area was much wetter. If the 5 meter contour is traced back as a possible mean water level the topography begins to assume a sympathetic foundation for the area's etymology and land use features (fig. 1). An important feature is presented where the road forks at Rushmere, one route would follow the edge of the mere while the other would briefly ford it before moving on to higher ground and meeting Polsborough-Gate. Such a deviation in the route would have practical implications for the herding of livestock in various weather conditions or at different times of the year. The place-name element Polattains a new significance as it could be taken to indicate the Anglo- Saxon term for a "wide estuary or land-lockedbay of the sea" (Gellingand Cole, p.22)3. The re- considered contour level would certainly offer such a feature and the proximity of the Snape mound within this topography would justify the place-name Polsborough' without offering any connection to a named deity. The navigable use of the estuary is also worthy of consideration with regard to the Snape ship burial, as it would appear to have presented the most convenient water-course from which to drag a vessel for subsequent interment. The 'Gate' element presents something of a conundrum. Kirby offers precise distances which suggest that Polsborough gate occupies a point location in the landscape. However the word 'gate' also has origins that derive from the Old Norse galameaning street (Smith, p.15(5). Kirby's map shows the old road from Snape connecting Priory Road (also formerly known in-part as Snape Street) to Blackheath Corner via what is now a bridle-way Also the Snape Tithe (SROI, 1846) records a `Street Field' en-route. Kirby's inference of a specific landmark might rely upon contemporary interpretations of an older place-name, the original meaning of which may have been lost. In the light of recent studies into Anglo Saxon nomenclature Polsborough-Gate could be taken to mean an ANCIENT LANDSCAPE 483 o xmun am . ; ••7: 15 • : ••••••• 15•.: r-. ...• : . • -20 •. • Ship Burial Mound ....• : e ••......--•... * . .•---; : To Benhas ,./ . .• • U factd,eath•... • • - --.... -.. ..:. s. Rushmere Street. • ..... : e•-. ....- ‘ Kirb i ....• ..• gi x. 10 (' : 't : ............... : -....-........•J . ... :. : : 1 Fnston . :.„.., • : Decoy,- • • . ........ ..... ........... ..... .„ „ „ To Aldeburgh •........-• 7•... ...To Snape 5 ....: '7.: -•:..•... : . „. • ...• ...- : 7*-- „ ... :. .- ••••• . ... .• t• • -••• • .......•-• : - • .• •:•• .•-• ..-: .- 7: 1 • 0 1 km -- .; ....-* FIG. 138—Polsborough-Gate area showing 5 meter contour (roads after Kirby 1736). ancient track leadingto, or circumventinga siteof tumuliwhichare locatedcloseto and visiblefrom the riverestuary. The route in question would have functionedas the main road towardsAldeburghprior to the establishmentof the current linkvia Snape Church, the steepnessof whichwould havepresented a problem to navigate by horse drawn traffic.Viewsof the Snape barrows and parts of the estuary would havebeen attainable along much of the route. Now of only occasionaluse it is possiblethat this track traces what was once a more significant Polsborough-Gata,and as such formed part of an earliercommunicationsystem(Warner,p.51)running north towardsLeistonand beyond. A Harrow at Van'sMeadow 'Harrow Lane' borders the former militaryairfieldwestof Leistonand runs north-westtowardsEast Green, connecting with Honeypot Lane. It has been considered to be an ancient r6ute having Roman or earlier origins(Warner, p.51).Harrow is a place-name associatedwith pagan worship, harrow equating with O.E. hearg,suggestinga 'heathen shrine' (Gelling, p.158-9). A site of ritual significancemay havebeen establishedduring the Iron Ageas the East Green area iscurrendyunder considerationas a trading centre of earlyRoman or pre-conquestdate (Steerwood,p.2.58-60).Celtic marketswere seasonaleventsoften associatedwith a shrine where mutuallysuspicioustribes could meet amicablyto perform religiousrites,presumablyprior to engagingin trading activities.This type of arrangement continued in some parts of Roman Britain (Rivet,p.126). A prominent site of religiousactivitywould probably have persisted into the medievalperiod, particularlyin an area where earlyAnglo-Saxonsettlementis evident. 484 ROBERT STEERWOOD The Revd. Suckling transcribes a perambulation of the bounds of Leiston made in 1620 (Suckling, p.429) in which reference is made to a "Harrow at Van's Meadow" suggesting that some form of meeting place was recognised and may have still functioned within the community at that time, albeit not for religious purposes. The relevant section reads thus: .."along that lane between Highbones and ground of the demean called the Harrow at Van's Meadow, excluding the said Van's Meadow towards the north, and from thence to the east end of Horne's Grove, and from that point going south-east westward (of) Mr. Guinees ground unto the procession rayles, and from those rayles going northward towards Hangman's Close,"..